Centrifugal machine



March 24. 1925.

W. C. COLEMAN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed Oct. 8. 1923 IN VINTOR atentedMar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM. C. COLEMAN, OF VICHITA, KANSAS.

CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

Application filed October 8, 1923.

l'o au whom t may concern:

lie it known that I, WILLIAM C. COLEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Vichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Machines;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to centrifugal separators and the primary objectis to provide a novel form of separator whereby ore sludge or pulpcontaining minerals may be treated to separate the minerals from theore. I have shown the device as adapted to con tain mercury which has anaffinity for certain metals.

This invention is shown as comprising two mercury containing rotors, onewithin the other and arranged concentrically, the construction beingsuch that material may enter the outer rotor to contact with the mercuryand then enter the inner rotor where it is again subjected to the actionof mercury and then discharged through an outlet in the outer rotor.

The construction of the inventionwill be rlcarly apparent by referenceto the following description in connection with the acmpanying drawing,in which* The figure is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view throughthe preferred form of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference:

The outer rotor 1 has a cylindrical wall provided at its lower edge witha curved bottoni 2 having a central opening 3 surv rounded by' anupstanding collar-11'.. The top edge of the outer rotor carries a coverplate Fi having a central opening provided with a collar 6 to whichattached a shaft 'i' te drive the outer rotor.

The inner face of the wall of the rotor receives an annular column ofmercury 8 to act upon the material entering the separator. IVithin theshaft 7 is a hollow shaft 9 fastened to the collar 10 o-n the spider 11carried by the disk 12 of the inner rotor.

Fasiened to the disk 12 is a downwardly Serial No. 667,202.

extending wall or flange 13 having an inwardly and upwardly curvedextension-14 forming a central opening 15 through which the collar 4projects. The collar 4 carries a defiecting drum 16 having a concavebottom 16 to direct material in proximity to the inner face of the innerrotor 13. The inner rotor carries an annular body of mercury 17 asshown.

The Inaterial may enter the machine through the hollow shaft 9 and passout through the openings in the spider 11, flow radially on the disk 12to contact with the body of mercury 8, then pass downwardly and upwardlythrough the opening 15 and be subjected to the action of the body ofmercury 17 and then flow through the opening 3. The material, therefore,will be subjected to the actio-n of mercury in both rotors, there beinga time element thus provided which will insure at least the majorportion of the metal being removed from the pulp or sludge.

The cover plate 5 may be secured to the member 1 by fastening devices,such as bolts 5.

It will be observed that the curved portion 14 at the lower end of thewall 13 gradually emerges tow'ard the curved bottom so as to provide .aprogressively decreasing passageway 18 through which the material passesbefore it is directed by the curved portion 16 in a return directioninto the space between the drum 16 and the mercury 17. I have found thatsuch an arrangement prevents accumulation or clogging of the passagewayduring the operation of the machine and I therefore recommend that thecurved portion 14 be so constructed that the space adjacent to itsoutlet be slightly less in cross section than the space between 18 andthe mercury 8, as in actual practice this gives better performance.

In some instances I may arrange the units in series. In that event thecover plate 5 for the lower unit will be removed and the lower unit willbe fastened to the upper unit in any appropriate manner so that bothupper and lower units may rotate together and the disk in the lower unitwill be fast to its complementary disk 12 in the upper unit by a doublethreaded rod engaging the boss 19 in 12 and a similar boss on top of thedisk in the lower unit. This construction iS obvious however and. S0 itis thought that it is not necessary to illustrate it in thisapplication, mention being made of such a construction however todisclose the fact that it is possible to duplicate the units and drivethem from a single drive mechanism.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the material will enter themachine through the hollow tube or shaft 9 where itv will be thrownradially or distributed by the disc 12 so it will first come intocontact with the lower mercury 17 then being directed against themercury 17 by the drum baffle 16 and finally discharged over theupwardly inclined top 20 of the drum so it may be finally dischargedthrough the outlet 3.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

l. A centrifugal separator comprising two concentric rotors, eachcontaining a body of mercury, means for feeding material into the outerrotor, means for discharging it from the outer rotor to the inner rotor,and means for discharging the material from the inner rotor through theouter rotor to exhaust.

2. A centrifugal separator comprising two concentric rotors having meansfor independently operating them, means for feedmg material into theouter rotor, means for discharging the material from the outer rotorinto the inner rotor, and means for discharging the material from theinner rotor.

A centrifugal separator comprisingtwo concentric members, the outermember having an annular wall and an inwardly and upwardly curvedbottom, the inner member having an annular curved wall and an invwardlyand upwardly curved bottom, the inner member having a central opening toreceive material from the outer member and the outer member having adischarge collar extending about the bottom of the inner member throughwhich the material may be discharged from the inner rotor.

Li. A centrifugal separato-r comprising two concentric members, theinner member having a tubular inlet and comprising a spreader disk and adepending wall having` an inwardly curved extension at its lower endwith a central opening, and the outer' member having a central openingsurrounded by a collar projecting above the lower' wall of the innermember, the collar being' of less diameter than the opening in the innermember. u

5. A centrifugal separator comprising two concentric members., eachcontaining a body of mercury, means for feeding material to the outermember, means for discharging it from the outer member to the innermember and a drum-shaped baffle Within the inner member for directingmaterial through the inner member to exhaust.

6. A centrifugal separator comprising two concentric members, eachcontaining a body of mercury, means for feeding material to the outermember, means for discharging it from the outer member to the innermember and a drum-shaped bathe Within the inner member for directingmaterial through the inner member to exhaust, the druniehaped bafflebeing carried by the outer member.

7. A centrifugal separator comprising two concentric members, eachcontaining a body of mercury, means for feeding material to the outermember, means for discharging it from the outer member to the innermember, said means having a. gradually reduced passageway toward the;discharge and a drum within the inner member having a. concave bottomadjacent to the second mentioned means, said drum constituting adirectional baffle for directing the material against the mercury in thesecond mentioned member, one of the members having an exhaust portthrough which the material may finally pass.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signawiLni-AM o. ooLnMAN.

ture.

